Published: Friday, July 19, 2013 at 7:10 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 19, 2013 at 7:10 p.m.

Lisa Clemens admittedly was an out-of-shape physical therapist. That was the instigating fact that led her to join the Rob's Big Losers program at Park Ridge Health.

The program, run by HIS Radio host Rob Dempsey, is a 12-week, weight-loss program. Members of the Park Ridge staff and other people in the community took part to lose pounds and to improve their health. The event culminated Friday night with a 5K run on the C.L. Powers Trail at the hospital.

Cynthia Cook, Park Ridge's marketing project manager, heard about the program on Dempsey's morning show and thought it'd be perfect for the community.

"I just really felt like we had the resources to pull it off here," she said.

Participants were divided into two teams and had weekly meetings with trainers. They worked out together, implemented a fitness plan, and focused on food and water logs.

In some cases, it was simply a matter of replacing soft drinks with water. Each week, participants were given prizes for their progress, and they kept track of their weight and body mass index.

Friday night, the winner of the program was announced. Lisa Sheppard subtracted the largest percentage from her BMI. Alyson Carr received an award for being the most inspirational participant.

The program, however, was filled with inspirational people, Cook said. That made it a success.

"I think it went great," she added. "I've heard some really good stories about lives changing."

One of those stories was Clemens.

Clemens, 42, is the mother of three children ages 6, 3 and 1, who contributed to her being out of shape. Another factor is that over the past six months, the physical therapist has been battling cancer, which she says is now gone. She was diagnosed in September and is coming up on her six-month checkup.

The program was a huge motivator for her.

"I pretty much was in the worst shape I'd been in my life," she said. "(The program) involved commitment. There is no halfway to doing it."

Through the process, her clothes began to fit better, but there was an even more important gain for the mother.

<p>Lisa Clemens admittedly was an out-of-shape physical therapist. That was the instigating fact that led her to join the Rob's Big Losers program at Park Ridge Health.</p><p>The program, run by HIS Radio host Rob Dempsey, is a 12-week, weight-loss program. Members of the Park Ridge staff and other people in the community took part to lose pounds and to improve their health. The event culminated Friday night with a 5K run on the C.L. Powers Trail at the hospital. </p><p>Cynthia Cook, Park Ridge's marketing project manager, heard about the program on Dempsey's morning show and thought it'd be perfect for the community.</p><p>"I just really felt like we had the resources to pull it off here," she said. </p><p>Participants were divided into two teams and had weekly meetings with trainers. They worked out together, implemented a fitness plan, and focused on food and water logs. </p><p>In some cases, it was simply a matter of replacing soft drinks with water. Each week, participants were given prizes for their progress, and they kept track of their weight and body mass index. </p><p>Friday night, the winner of the program was announced. Lisa Sheppard subtracted the largest percentage from her BMI. Alyson Carr received an award for being the most inspirational participant. </p><p>The program, however, was filled with inspirational people, Cook said. That made it a success.</p><p>"I think it went great," she added. "I've heard some really good stories about lives changing."</p><p>One of those stories was Clemens. </p><p>Clemens, 42, is the mother of three children ages 6, 3 and 1, who contributed to her being out of shape. Another factor is that over the past six months, the physical therapist has been battling cancer, which she says is now gone. She was diagnosed in September and is coming up on her six-month checkup. </p><p>The program was a huge motivator for her.</p><p>"I pretty much was in the worst shape I'd been in my life," she said. "(The program) involved commitment. There is no halfway to doing it."</p><p>Through the process, her clothes began to fit better, but there was an even more important gain for the mother.</p><p>"Besides my clothes fitting better, my energy level is better," she said. </p><p>That's something her husband has noticed.</p><p>"She's always had lots of energy, but it's gone up tremendously," Tim Clemens said. </p><p>That was what Cook was hoping for when she started the program at Park Ridge. Whether it was weight loss, energy or just better overall health, Park Ridge met its goals. </p><p>"It's been a dramatic change for a lot of (the participants) lifestyles," she said.</p><p>Due to the response to the program, Cook said it may become an annual event. </p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>